“Time flies,” a common phrase many of us say as we get older. “Where did this year go” is another common expression. As this year draws to a close, it’s time to a do a retrospective – a look back to appreciate and reflect on this year. Here are 5 questions you can ask yourself to better appreciate what you have done & learned this year.
- What am I grateful for this year?
- What did I learn this year, both at work and personally?
- What did I contribute to the world this year?
- What fun memories do I have of this year?
- What personal relationships did I foster this year?
This year didn’t have to be all rosy. Life is a journey of ups and downs. What’s important is what we remember and what we learn from it. So take 30 minutes to write down your thoughts about your year. I look forward to hearing about it.
Here is my retrospective on my year 🙂
Question 1 – What am I grateful for this year?
- I am grateful for the health of my parents, my family, and myself. Warren Buffet has once said the most important asset in life is our health.
- I am grateful for the opportunities I had this year at work – build out a full team and lead an important initiative that impacts customers and business across industries – identity management.
- I am grateful for friends reaching out to stay in touch (e.g., college friends who motivated me to go to my reunion, girlfriends who have been close to me for 15+ years.)
- I am grateful to my husband who “doesn’t take shxx” from me and thus makes me a better person 🙂
- I am grateful for a simple life – one that is full of experiences, personal connections, and quality time with my family.
Question 2 – What did I learn this year, both at work and personally?
I learned a lot this year. Each of these below is a story in itself. For now, I will keep it high level.
- I learned that I am still prioritizing work too much compared to my kids. I need to spend more quality time with my kids and separately with each one.
- I learned that I have the capacity to do even more than I thought at work. I was given a huge responsibility early this year. Because my leader had the confidence in me, I had the confidence to not only take it on but thrive.
- I learned it’s okay to “raise my hand” when I am working with incompetent people. I also learned the best way to “raise my hand.”
- I learned that my stress at work can have a huge impact on my team. I need to be aware of this and minimize how my stress affects my team.
- I learned that while I am fairly skilled strategically, I still have a lot to learn about how to teach strategy skills to others
- I learned from my husband that my biggest vice is “my negative self-talk.”
- I learned from my kids that anyone can learn anything as long as they are willing to be uncomfortable and practice all the time. By watching them learn something from scratch and then repeating it many times until they master it, I learned I can still learn many new things in life. All I need to do is be patient, be uncomfortable, and practice :-).
Question 3: What did I contribute to the world this year?
- I took time to coach each of my team members individually to help them further their skillsets
- I continued to lead monthly product manager “grooming” sessions so I can further professionals in their product management skills
- I helped my mom get out of depression this year – it was 95% her own effort, but I would like to think my 5% also helped
- I helped my older daughter deal with the unknown of puberty classes – I didn’t have all the answers but we bonded over some interesting questions she had 🙂
- I helped fellow parents in my daughters classes enjoy life by organizing fun “mommy night outs.”
- I continue to write in this blog for readers around the world
- I planned some amazing trips for our family to experience
Question 4: What fun memories do I have of this year? Here is my top 5
- Learning 3 different catches at Trapeze at club med and also in SF. Here is the video of the last one.
- Learning how to ride the halfbike – just starting to learn how to turn.
- Taking my parents and my kids to the Magic Patio and to Amaluna
- Taking the family to our first Disney cruise from the Port of San Diego – shows on the ship were amazing.
- Eating amazing food with hubby in San Francisco and at our various travel destination. For example, w had this amazng exotic fish sashimi in San Diego at the Full Moon Sushi restaurant in San Diego. Here is my review on Yelp. If you love food, then add me as a friend on Yelp.
Question 5: What personal relationships did I foster this year? Here is my top 5.
- Our SF “Diva” group is still going strong – 5 girlfriends formed this about 16 years ago and 4 of us still meet up regularly every year.
- Reconnected with one of my best friends from Wharton – She moved here from Dallas over a year ago and we are now able to spend a lot more time together
- Reconnected with my college friends – thanks to the persistence of one of my college friends, we all went to our big reunion this year at Stanford and also are connecting at least once a year for brunch.
- Made a new friend – which is harder and harder as we get older. I still meet many new people but rarely do they become friends. This friendship was unexpected and nice so far.
- Lost a friend suddenly ;-( – I am now getting to know his wife as he would want me to make sure she is okay.
So much has happened this year. It’s nice to take time to look back before it’s over. It also helps me realize there is so much to look forward to in the new year. Best wishes to you in 2020!
Your comments: What are you grateful for this year? What has you learned from and contributed to the world? What are your fondest memories of 2019? I look forward to your comments.
Your comments: Do you have an inner voice that tells you that you are not enough? Do you where it comes from and how to ignore it? I look forward to hearing from you.
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Lei
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